Outbreak: Atlanta
by arl with a K
Summary: The Zombie Outbreak has reached Atlanta.  Can the "Kennedy" sisters survive in this post-apocalyptic world?  ..contains original characters and characters created for the comic/TV show..
1. Class Dismissed

_She screamed as her sisters' gunshot sent a bullet through the walkers' skull, blood splattered across the wall of the alley and the half-decayed corpse fell to the floor._

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><p>It had been a relatively normal day in Atlanta; the weather was fantastic and in turn, the majority of the populace in a happy mood as they scurried through the streets. The sun was beating down over the city, everybody was going about their daily routines and Katharine was daydreaming as she stared out of the classroom window.<p>

"Miss Kennedy!" The teacher snapped a ruler against her desk breaking Katharine's daze and bringing her back to the lesson. "Miss Kennedy, perhaps you'd like to tell the rest of us the answer?" With a guilty sigh, the young girl blushed a little and shook her head. "Okay, then maybe you'd like to stay behind after school?" Although given in an offering sentence, Katharine knew she had no option; she'd just got her ticket to detention.

Katharine was your average fifteen year old American girl. She enjoyed watching MTV and spending more than enough time talking to all of her friends on the phone late at night. She was "daddy's little princess" and doing well at school, though her attention did drift from time to time.  
>Her plaited blonde hair and crystal blue eyes certainly got her enough attention from the opposite sex but Katharine only had eyes for one guy, "Blake Tyler". Captain of the schools' soccer team, he was your typical jock and the most popular guy in school. The only problem was, he was in the year above Katharine and had never noticed her around. Luckily for her, Katharine was seated by the classroom window which looked out over the playing field where Blake and the rest of the soccer team were training for tonight's game. Since the weather was so hot, Katharine was even more distracted once they started to practice topless. Unfortunately, it was this distraction that had gotten her detention after school.<p>

As the class went on and the kids became restless in the stuffy room, time seemed to slow down and Mrs. Jenkins' monotonous voice droned on and on and on… Who'd have thought they'd possibly never need to know about photosynthesis after their exams?

Katharine scribbled down a few notes between her glances out the window and occasionally pretended to pay interest to what Mrs. Jenkins was saying. Just an hour more and the school day would be over. Just one very long and incredibly boring hour. With another sigh, Katharine chewed the end of her pencil and blankly stared at the chalkboard. It didn't last long before the bell sounded… Jenkins pulled her spectacles to the end of her nose and peered at her watch, then gave a confused look at the clock. The children began to stir, some not realising it wasn't supposed to be home time even began to pack their bags.

"Sit down!" Mrs. Jenkins screeched over the tone of the ringing bell. "Jack! Beth! Take off your coat! It's not time to go yet!" As chaos began to brew throughout the classroom, Katharine looked out of window and noticed the headmaster was talking to all of the students in the soccer team who all had concerned looks across their faces. Her attention was drawn when the classroom door opened and Mr. Beckitt, the History teacher, walked in. The continuous bell rang on but the children fell silent as they waited to hear what was happening. After a quick whispered conversation with Mrs. Jenkins, he turned to the class and announced in a shaky voice.

"It has been decided that school is closing early. I'd like you all to calmly make your ways to the school yard, call your parents and let them know you're on your way home and then board the school buses we've provided out front." Amongst a few cheers from certain kids, everybody began to pack their things and collect their belongings as the hallways sounded fuller as other students made their way to the designated area. Katharine shared a worried stare with the girl next to her before the teachers ushered them out of the classroom.

The school corridors were packed as surges of students joined the rest of the slowly moving river of kids. Katharine clung to her back tightly and pushed her way past two boys who were blocking the way with their shirts over their heads causing general immature trouble. As the school evacuated into the yard, the sun's heat seemed to intensify, riding those yellow buses was not going to be a pleasant experience for anybody or their nose. As she pulled her cell phone from her pocket, she found her contact list and pressed "Mom".

"The number you are trying to call is not available, please try again later"

Grunting, she tried her father's number.

"The number you are…"

"Damn it!" She cursed as she thought of why they're both busy, then realised her signal bars were empty. With so much pushing and shoving going on around her, she dismissed the phone to her pocket and scanned the buses for one heading to her neighbourhood. Spotting one that would pass by her house she squeezed her way through the other students and eventually with a polite smile at the driver she climbed the steps and made her way down the bus. As expected, it was extremely warm and already most seats were taken so she continued to the back of the bus and parked herself on a seat next to a jock who was staring out of the window.

As everyone knows, there are rules about where you sit on the school bus, Jocks at the back, followed by the slutty girls who probably got their boobs out at the last party. Everyone else filled the front of the bus topped off with the quiet nerds who'd sit at the very front and annoy the driver with their constant chat about their level 40 Elf on the newest RPG craze. Under other circumstances, Katharine would've probably sat somewhere in the middle of the bus, she was confident and pretty enough to get close enough to the jocks and popular girls from the year above but would never dream of mixing with them.

"Hey!" As the bus doors closed and the engine kicked in, the stranger beside her turned to greet her and Katharine froze, a gasp formed a nervous lump in her throat. It was Blake…she was sitting next to Blake Tyler, her perfect guy. The sun shone through the window and highlighted his dusty blonde hair, his deep blue eyes had her mesmerised and his perfectly white teeth glistened as he smiled softly at her. The soft smell of freshly sprayed deodorant mixed with fresh manly sweat left Katharine weak at the knees.

"H…hi!" She stammered. Coughing quietly to clear her throat.

"You're Katharine, right?" Blake knew her. He actually knew her. He knew her name. She nodded in disbelief that not only was the love of her life speaking to her, he knew who she was. "Yeah, I've seen you around… and heard good things!" He said.

"Heard things?" She questioned him, suddenly confused as to what he knew (or thought he knew) about her.

"Yeah, Mr. Myers used your work as an example of how our work should be done in Math last week." He grinned. Shaking her head with slight embarrassment Katharine smiled.

"Could've been worse!" She admitted before letting out a controlled giggle. The rest of the bus was abuzz with chit chat, outburst of laughter and screwed up paper being tossed around, the typical school bus rituals. "So, how did you know I was the same Katharine from the Math class?" She quizzed as she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Well, without sounding like too much of a stalker, I've sort of known who you were all year. Ever since you tried out for the cheerleading squad anyway!" Katharine turned a nice shade of red. She'd tried out for the cheer team just so she could spend more time drooling over Blake, how could she have forgotten they'd met when he judged the tryouts. "You were quite good, if it was solely up to me, I'd have given you a position!"

"Yeah, well, looks like Amber got the last say on that one…" She replied through gritted teeth.

"What a bitch!" Blake jested which set them both off laughing. The pair joked and flirted non-stop as the bus turned off Route 75 and onto 85. A few minutes later, the atmosphere on the bus changed. The noise dimmed as more kids realised and began to stare out of the windows. The bus also slowed to a crawl before the driver stopped and stared over to the Atlanta International Airport. Blake and Katharine were some of the last people to realise and as their gaze was drew with the others' they spotted what seemed like a group of people slowly wandering across the runways.

"What the…?" "What are they doing?" "Dude, Oh My God!" Whispers of disbelief and confusion echoed around the metal frame of the bus and then a single scream. Everybody turned to see Melissa Carter, one of the popular, slutty girls from school was frozen in shock as she'd seen something on the other side of the street. The bus swayed as everybody raced across the seat to check the other side followed quickly by more screams and panic. The driver slowly opened his cabin door and walked to see what had caused the uproar.

Three people were kneeling to inspect over something on the side walk, he moved to the next window to get a better view. They weren't inspecting anything…they were feeding. Ripping the flesh of what seemed to be another person, the blood smeared across their faces as they devoured the meat. Guts were torn from the lifeless body and the three feeders just sunk their teeth into them as if it were a rare cooked steak on a Sunday dinner. The terror had risen and the bus was filled with screams and shouting, hysterical girls in tears squealed, one splashed vomit all up against the window. As the noise in the bus heightened, one of the feeders lifted his head and turned towards the frightened children on the vehicle. His eyes blurred and white, blood stained lips and a broken nose. His flesh hung from his cheek, revealing his teeth and gums and he chewed on the dead before him. Slowly he groaned as he stumbled to his feet, the glazed look in his eyes vacant and void of life and as he took a step forward, his ankle snapped. The kids on the bus winced as the sound of bone shattering fluttered through the windows, but the feeder didn't seem to notice. He took another step. Complete panic and fear was now the only way to describe what filled that bus.

"My God!" The driver darted quickly back into his seat and turned the key in the ignition. "Hold on!" He shouted to the kids and he switched into gear and thumped his foot on the gas. The tyres screamed as the bus raced down the street. Blurred images of deserted vehicles, bloody foot paths and more decaying walkers flew past the windows.

"What's happening!" A guy yelled as he puffed at his inhaler, trying to catch his breath.

The bus swerved around two cars that had collided and were burning in the middle of the road and then the driver slammed on the brakes. Everybody fell forward trying to catch themselves on chairs, bars and friends. The street was blocked with abandoned cars; doors wide open, some still had the engines humming and the radio playing white noise. The driver got out of his cabin once again, took one look back at the scared youngsters and pushed the doors open making his escape. Unfortunately for him, his quick escape was wasted. As he ran around the back of the bus, he came face to face with a walker. With a chilling scream, he fell to the floor as the zombie shredded his bicep with its teeth and pinned him to the ground. Not knowing what to do, the chaos resumed on the bus and everyone raced to the door.

Tears fled down Katharine's cheeks and she sat silently as the commotion went on around her. People jumping over seats, others being trampled as they clumsily fell to the floor under the surge of bodies.

"Katharine!" Blake shook her vigorously. "Katharine! Get up! Let's go!" As she came out of her frightened daze she looked him in the eyes and saw the fear in his eyes. Jumping over the seat in front of him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her from her chair. As they left the bus, they looked at the pandemonium around them. Kids were running in all directions, some tripping as they looked back at the beast eating their driver. A tree had fallen across the road after a van had veered off the road into it and screams were heard everywhere.

"This way!" Katharine still clinging to Blake's arm tugged him down the street towards the crossroads. Together they dodged the obstacles in their path and witnessed as their classmates fled, some unlucky enough to be greeted by a puddle of blood and a dismembered limb. As they reached the crossroads, they took a glance to the right and were not expecting what they saw. A horde of walkers was heading their way. Thirty, or possibly more, slowly limped down the street. A kid, who'd obviously thought he'd found a shortcut home vaulted over a fence right into the middle of the pack. Katharine and Blake watched as the panic consumed him and he froze in his place. Soon enough he was screaming as a few of the zombies ripped him apart to feed. The sight made Katharine extremely nauseous and she swallowed back her tears as Blake pulled her away from the crowd of undead.

"I've got to get home!" She spluttered through her tears and terror as they ran down the footpath. "My parents! We've got to warn them!" Selfishly in her fear, she ignored the fact that Blake has family too and worked her way through the streets towards her own. Whether out of heroism, stupidity or just confusion, Blake didn't seem to object to the plan either and so he followed Katharine where she led.

They stopped at the end of Liberty Heights, the street where Katharine had grown up. It had been the place where she learnt to ride a bike, where her parents had seen her off to school every morning and where she'd smiled respectfully at her neighbours. Now, it didn't seem to be the street she loved. A car had crashed through somebody's garden fence and into the living room. A flock of crows was scavenging and taking leftover meat from massacred bodies and not a sound was to be heard. As thoughts entered Katharine's head of how she'd find her own home and her parents she began to hyperventilate. Noticing her increase in breath, Blake pulled her close and hugged her shielding her eyes from the view of the street.

"Come on… they'll be okay…probably sitting at home waiting for you to return safely!" He comforted her as they cautiously started making their way to 98 Liberty Heights.

By this time the sun was beginning to set and had cast an orange glow over the city.

When they could clearly see Katharine's house, they gently picked up speed, still wary of anything that moved. The car wasn't in the driveway and as she crossed the porch she found the door still locked.

"They're not home yet!" She moaned, not knowing whether they were somewhere safe or in the infested streets trying to get home worried her more. After a moment, she signalled to Blake to follow her. She had forgotten her house key but knew there was a spare one under the plant pot by the back door and so they headed to the alley at the side of the house. As she moved around the corner she came face to face with something that seemed like a nightmare and as the walker lifted its' arms to grab her she let out a shrill shriek and then… **BANG!**


	2. Home Sweet Home

The body lay completely still in front of Katharine, blood oozed from the bullet wound in its skull. As Katharine opened her eyes and looked down at the deceased attacker, she gasped.

"Peter….!" Peter Rivers was the Kennedy's elderly next door neighbour who now, with his dressing gown and slippers, had his brain sprayed over the side wall of their house. His wrinkled skin was rotten and peeling off his balding head, his eyes the same cloudy grey as they'd seen of the walker feeding beside the airport.

"Don't worry, that's not Mr. Rivers any more…" The woman who'd fired the gun stated, breaking Katharine from her trembling daze. Lifting her focus she was overwhelmed with a sudden sense of love and security.

"Ivy!" Stood there in the alley beside the house, silhouetted by the low sun was Ivy Kennedy, Katharine's older sister. Where Katharine had more of her fathers' physical traits, Ivy had gained her mothers' beauty and Latin features. Long, wavy, dark brunette hair hung around her shoulders and matching brown eyes peered out seductively at all times, her slightly tanned skin looked glamorous even when it was covered with specks of dried blood and dirt. Even Blake's eyes lit up when he saw her stood there, her pistol still held firmly in her hand. Katharine, jumping over the corpse of her neighbour, grinned as she ran at her sister with arms open wide. As Ivy embraced her sibling, a single tear of joy caressed her strong cheek bone and she squeezed just a little bit tighter to let her sister know she was safe.

Ivy Kennedy was twenty-seven years old and had moved to Kentucky where she worked as a Sheriff's Deputy Police Officer for Cynthiana. She visited home as much as she could and she'd often volunteer to fill in for officers in Atlanta if needs be, but this time she'd come to mix business with pleasure… in a way. She had come home to protect her family. Seeing her standing there in her uniform, Blake felt a lot of things that teenage boys feel but mostly, the badge gave him the same sense of security that Katharine was now feeling.

"Ivy, what's happening? What are those things?" Katharine asked looking back to Peter's unmoving body.

"We don't know Kitty! They've been appearing all over the country and who knows where else." She took a look around the garden behind her before putting her gun away in its holster. "As soon as I heard that it wasn't just in Kentucky, I rushed home to check on you guys. You have no idea how much I worried when I arrived and saw the street like this and nobody here!" Standing in front of Katharine, Ivy smiled and brushed her sisters' hair behind her ears. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you're safe!" Pulling her sister closer she gave her another warm hug.

"Trust me Ivy," Katherine closed her eyes and smiled. "I know." The pair shared the embrace a moment longer before releasing their grasp and Ivy looked to the handsome jock accompanying Katharine. Stepping past her sister, she extended her hand in front of her.

"I'm Ivy." She winked and she shook his hand. "Thanks for looking after her." Blake just blushed at her touch. As he tried to hide his nerves he just nodded a greeting and introduced himself.

"Ivy! We need to get inside!" Katharine had peered down the alley past the others and had spotted a few of the walkers wandering around the gardens close by. Hearing her warning, Ivy lead to youngsters around the back of the house where as predicted Katharine found the spare key and let themselves into the house.

As they entered into the kitchen, Ivy quickly locked the door behind them and pocketed the key. There was nothing spectacular about the Kennedy's house. It was just your average, yet well kept home. Moving over to the sink, Katharine poured herself a glass of water and offered the same to Blake, Ivy sniggered to herself.

"Even when America is literally tearing itself open you still keep your manners." She laughed, receiving an embarrassed glare from her sister telling her not to humiliate her in front of her crush. Blake didn't mind, it seemed like he'd forgotten all about the world outside and was scanning the room as if he was an interior decorator. "Okay, you guys wait here; I'm going to check the house. See if mom left a note or something…" With this, Ivy turned and headed out of the kitchen and down the hall. Katharine looked to Blake and smiled as she wiped the dried tears from her face.

"What a day!" She chuckled.

In the hallway, Ivy checked the table by the mirror for any sign of a note, keys, bags… any indication of whether her parents had been home from work yet. There was nothing, she checked the phone for any message, but a hummed tone was her only find.

"Lines are down." She mumbled to herself as she replaced the receiver. Quickly she scouted the living room, just to make sure she hadn't missed that note and then sprinted up the stairs. Carefully she opened each door, fingers already stroking the grip of her gun in case something was lurking behind. The front and back doors were both locked and there was no sign of any break in, but you could never be too careful. After finding the house was clear, Ivy took a step into her parents' room and slowly looked around, being home usually made her feel warm inside but as she came across a family photo standing atop her mothers' bedside cabinet a cold chill swept over her. Although she'd never show it to Katharine, she knew there was no certainty that her parents were still alive.

Since the walkers started appearing and more and more cases of undead cannibals were reported over the police radio's Ivy had learnt that nobody was safe. They'd even lost a number of officers during the outbreak. As she stared at the cheerful photo framed in her hands, she closed her eyes and held it close to her chest, praying that her mother and father were safe. Or at least not one of the walkers. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and took one final look at her family portrait…and gasped. As she glanced at it, it seemed as though her parents' faces flashed into those of the undead. Frail skin fell from their cheeks, blood smeared across their mouths. Out of shock, Ivy quickly dropped the photo and the frame shattered on the floor.

Hearing the sound of smashing glass upstairs, Katharine rushed to her sister's aide followed swiftly by Blake. As they reached the top of the stairs they found Ivy sitting on the edge of her parents' bed and staring at the broken image. Ivy shook her head and checked her mom's and dad's faces once more. Between the shards of fractured glass, they were fine. Back to their original happy, smiling faces.

"Sorry. I bumped the bedside and this fell off… didn't mean to scare you." Ivy explained to Katharine and Blake. "I just got spooked… that's all." She said as she crouched to begin picking up the pieces of broken glass, careful not to scratch the photo it once held. Katharine just smirked; glad to see that it was nothing but a fallen photo that had 'attacked' her sister. "It's getting dark. I'm going to freshen up a little. It's not a great idea to head out at night, so get some rest, we'll check out mom's and dad's office first thing tomorrow." Ivy said as she passed the others on her way to the bathroom, she noticed Blake looking at the Kennedy family photo lying back on the bedside. "Don't worry kid, we can stop off at your place on the way and get you back with your parents too." She lied, knowing that with the streets like this, very few people would still be sitting at home waiting for someone to ring the doorbell. As the nightmare began, areas of the city were evacuated, people fled and those who didn't… probably didn't make it.

"Thank you." Blake replied politely, he too knew the chances of seeing his parents again were growing slimmer with each second but if he was safe and well, who's to say his parents hadn't found a way to survive too… this was the thought that gave him hope.

"Remember, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves, close the curtains, don't turn on any lights and stay quiet." She kissed her sister on the forehead and gave a comforting squeeze on her shoulder. "Sweet dreams." She wished on her way to the bathroom, knowing that after what they'd seen and the thoughts running through their minds they probably weren't going to get all forty winks tonight if any at all.

Silently, they closed the curtains in the master bedroom and Blake followed Katharine to her bedroom. Following Ivy's orders, they kept the light off and closed the curtains and although their phones were useless without signal, they made decent enough torches so they weren't stumbling around in complete darkness. Blake inspected her room and made a joke about the stuffed animals at the end of her bed which resulted in having a soft lion being thrown at his head. The two of them in their own little room, safe from the world outside continued their flirting and got to know each other quietly as if it were just any other day. As time went on they found themselves perched on the edge of Kitty's bed, comfortably close enough so they could speak in whispers and still hear each other.

"Can I tell you something?" Katharine asked rhetorically. "I've had a huge crush on you ever since I first saw you…" Blake's eyebrows raised and a smile spread across his lips. "Your mom was dropping you off outside of school and as you got out of the car I just couldn't stop staring an-" Kitty's sentence was interrupted as Blake leant forward and gently kissed her. Their lips, warm and suitably wet, pressed against each others as a hand slowly moved up to stroke Katharine's neck. Getting into the moment, she placed a hand on the side of his head and softly ticked his ear. Katharine's phone battery died and as her torch went out, shadows were thrown around the room from Blake's solo light but the couple were too occupied to notice and as the passion continued they eventually found themselves lying together on the bed, spooning sweetly. Katharine pulled Blake's arm over her and he hugged her tightly. Closing their eyes, they prayed for sleep without the nightmares. A touch of romance blossomed in the midst of the horrors outside the house.

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><p>Meanwhile, Ivy was rubbing the towel through her damp hair as she stepped out of the shower. Wiping the condensation from the mirror she splashed her face with cold water and grabbed her mother's dressing gown. Grabbing her uniform from the floor she balanced her gun on top of the pile as she made her way through to her parents' room where she'd try and get some sleep, it had been a long day and she guessed tomorrow wasn't going to be any easier. As she folded her uniform neatly and placed it on the chair at the end of the bed, she thought about what was going on outside. "What were these things? Where had they come from? Will we survive?"<p>

She moved to the window and pulled back the curtain just enough to peek out into the street. It was dark and eerie and the moon cast shadows across the road. Over the rooftops on the horizon she could see the City skyscrapers, apartment blocks, offices… some lights were on, other buildings were burning and plumes of black smoke disappeared into the nights sky. A few houses down from where she stood, a small group of walkers devoured some sort of animal; a racoon? A fox? Number 84's pet Labrador? Without a pause, she dropped the curtain back into place and jumped into bed, placing her pistol on top of the family portrait she'd broken earlier. Pulling the duvet over her freshly washed skin, she stopped and smiled… this was her home, her family's home… and this could possibly be the last time she ever got to sleep in a cosy bed with fresh linen and clean hair. This comfort alone was enough to send her into a heavy nap.


	3. Mommy, Dearest

Katharine stretched out her arms and rolled onto her back, she'd slept better than she'd expected to. The sun was peeping around the edges of the curtain just enough for Katharine's eyes to adjust clearly and as she woke up a little more, she realised she was alone. Flashes of rotting zombies flashed back into her mind and she sat upright.

"Blake?" She looked around her bedroom and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Blake? Ivy?" She called out as she stood and moved to the door. No reply. Swallowing back her sudden fear of being alone, she walked to the top of the stairs, from there she could see that her parents' room was vacant, the curtains slightly opened where Ivy had assessed the situation outside. "Ivy?" She repeated with a slight croak in her voice. Still, nothing. Taking it one step at a time, she warily made her way to the hallway and as she passed the front door, she startled herself as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Giving a slight giggle at the silly event, she let down her guard, and then screamed.

"Woah! Easy there!" Blake had walked through the kitchen and unintentionally snuck up on Kitty.

"Blake!" Katharine slapped his arm playfully as she pulled herself together. He sniggered playfully and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her; he looked her in the eyes and then kissed her forehead.

"Sorry Kat. Come on, Ivy's been showing me the plan." He motioned to the kitchen and the couple entered.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty!" Ivy smiled as her sister walked into the kitchen. The blinds had been raised and the sun was falling over Atlanta City once more. There were maps spread across the dining table and Ivy was scribbling various routes over them, moving her gun to one side as she marked another path. Rubbing her eyes Katharine sat at the table and inspected the maps, Blake stood beside her with his hand on her shoulder.

"So, which way do we go after we stop off at my place?" Blake asked calmly. Ivy pointed to the map.

"First, we'll head to Blake's just off the Roosevelt Highway, here." Katharine looked at where her sister was pointing then followed her finger as it slid across the map. "After that, we'll stick to the highway and join Route 85 back at the airport, Blake told me about the route being blocked further down this way so that's perfect. Then we just follow 85 up to 'Five Points' and come off at mom's office, here on Trinity Avenue." Her finger followed a red line she'd drawn on with a marker pen and circled at her mother's workplace.

"Sounds good…but that's a long way to walk… it'd take us all day to reach the City." Kitty exclaimed.

"Walk? You think I walked here from Cynthiana?" Ivy laughed. "I got my wheels parked out front, didn't you notice?" Blake's face lit up once more.

"We're going in a cop car? A real one?" His immaturity didn't surprise Ivy, and Katharine found it kind of cute. With a nod, Ivy continued.

"Kat, go grab your bag and empty the fridge into it… We need to be prepared in case we get stuck out there." Following orders, Katharine left to find her bag and Ivy started to gather her things, she loaded the magazine and then holstered her gun, folded her maps and even secured her officer badge.

"Need me to do anything?" Asked Blake feeling like a spare wheel. Ivy looked at him and bit her lip before sighing and moving towards him. Placing a hand on his shoulder she adopted a soft but confident tone.

"I just need you to be prepared… We don't know what we're going to find when we get you home." Understanding what she meant Blake just gave an appreciative smile. He'd been thinking about nothing else ever since they left the school bus and he'd almost come to terms with it but he knew that his parents could be dead, or worse.

"Fill it up!" Katharine burst back in to the room with an unzipped backpack and headed to the fridge. As she loaded up with cheese, vegetables and other various snacks, Ivy grabbed a pack of cookies from the cupboard as well as a couple tins of beans before opening the bread bin and tossing half a loaf over to Kat. Blake took it upon himself to fill up a couple of plastic water bottles which slotted perfectly into the top of the bag before it was zipped up.

"You ready for this?" Ivy questioned the youngsters. "If I say run, you run… If I say hide, you hide… If I say ..."

"Ivy, we get it!" Katharine snapped out, she was already nervous. "If we don't go out there now, it'll give me time to think of how crazy this is and I'll never leave…. Please, let's go!" Ivy nodded as she checked her pockets to find the door key. Blake moved to the door after giving Kat's arm a comforting squeeze and the sisters followed. Opening the door slightly, Ivy checked to make sure the coast was clear with one hand on her gun.

"Okay, go… quickly." She rushed the kids through the door and into the back garden. Looking around for themselves, Blake and Kat scurried to the alley way, stopping at the corner of the house, backs against the wall so Blake could poke his head around the corner as he'd seen happen in many of his favourite television shows. Ivy followed and smiled at the young man's caution.

"Come on, follow me, the car is in front of Lynette's house." Keeping her eyes peeled they rushed down the alley. A crow flew from Mr. Rivers' body where it had been feeding on his putrid flesh. "Watch your step." Ivy warned as she stepped over the fallen walker. Blake moved over the corpse without a care for what was beneath him but Kitty decided to look at her neighbours decaying face. The crows had feasted, the skin was scratched around his bullet wound where they'd fought for the meaty scraps of brain and one of them had decided 'eyeball' was on the menu. The vision made her heave and she almost puked right there before Blake pulled her away into the street. Pulling her keys from her pocket, Ivy raced to the driver's seat.

"You two, jump in the back!" She said as she unlocked the doors and jumped in behind the steering wheel, placing her gun on the passenger seat. Throwing the backpack in first, Katharine sat in behind her sister and Blake went round to get in the other side, slamming the door after him.

"Sorry." He apologised as he noticed the stern look on Ivy's face. Turning the key in the ignition she spun the wheel and shifted into gear. Although she could see the road was clear, she drove relatively slowly taking in the surroundings carefully until she spotted a walker swaying in place at the end of Liberty Heights.

"Strap in!" She ordered. "This is probably going to get bumpy!" With an evil grin she slammed her foot down and sped the car up. As the engine growled, it seemed to catch the walker's attention and hungry for its next meal it began to clumsily walk towards the speeding vehicle. Blake's eye widened, it was just as he'd seen in movies. Kat clenched her fists into the leather seats and closed her eyes waiting for impact. It was the satisfaction in Ivy's face as she was close enough to see the faded eyes of the walker that made her push down the gas even harder and as the car bumper crashed into the legs of undead, the sounds of bones breaking echoed through the street. On impact, the zombie flew over the bonnet with a heavy thud and landed head first into the concrete pavement beside the road. More broken bones; neck, spine, even a dislocated shoulder. Blake cheered as he spun to look at the twitching mess out of the back window, the car continued round the corner with a more controlled speed. The streets were deserted, homes empty, front doors left wide open as people fled the scene with no thought to home security, abandoned cars scattered the road and forced Ivy to slow right down to manoeuvre her car through them.

"Look at this place!" Kat said as she sadly stared out of the window at the broken neighbourhood she once called home. This hadn't just been some horrible nightmare, this was real and driving through the aftermath of the outbreak made them realise just how real it was. With the weather as brilliant as it was, the streets were usually filled with the hustle of suburban life. People mowing the lawns, chatting to neighbours over white picket fences, children riding bikes down the road, ladies jogging in horrible fluorescent velour tracksuits as they stick their chest out at every topless male they bounced past… Now, nothing. Not one single living person was seen. Ivy checked on her sister through the windscreen mirror and just sighed hopelessly. As they turned the car onto the Parkway the roads cleared slightly and the car picked up speed.

Trees lined either side of the road and apart from the occasional car which had skidded into the side barriers it all seemed relatively normal, peaceful. Ivy fiddled about with the radio but all that came back was white noise and an automated evacuation message so she turned it off and left the car driving in silence. Taking a left onto Roosevelt Highway they could see the city centre growing in the distance. They noticed that the road heading out of Atlanta was packed with cars ditched as their passengers desperately evacuated the city. The road into town was empty; obviously nobody was stupid enough to head into the centre of the mayhem the rest of the population was running from… nobody except Ivy and company. Luckily for them, it meant they could really gain speed.

"Make a left here!" Blake said as if directing a taxi driver. Ivy screeched to the left and weaved her way between two cars that'd been left at the crossroads. Bryant Street was just the same as Katharine's street, empty cars, empty homes, smashed windows, pools of blood running down the drains and not a soul in sight. Ivy took another glance in her rear view mirror, this time to check on Blake. He was staring out of the window, dread and sorrow filled his eyes. Seeing his own street destroyed by the outbreak, a sudden sense of realism came over Blake and he understood how close to home this happening was. Literally. Slowing down, the car crawled down the street and then they reached Blake's house. Blood stains decorated the front door as it swung open and closed. Before Ivy even had a chance to brake, Blake had bolted out of the car and rushed towards the house.

"Blake!" Kat yelled after him, panic overcoming her as she unfastened her seatbelt and the sisters both leapt out of the car and sprinted after him.

"Blake! Wait!" Ivy grabbed her gun and prepared herself for what could be lurking in the house. Out of habit she checked the hallway to make sure it was safe although Blake had already ran through it and had checked the living room and kitchen and was eagerly about to run up stairs before Ivy barricaded his path.

"Mom?" He shouted upstairs, quickly Ivy grabbed him and placed her hand across his mouth so he couldn't shout any more.

"Shh! Listen…" Katharine said as the sound of footsteps was heard upstairs. Wriggling from Ivy's grip in anticipation of seeing his parent's again Blake soared up the stairs, chased by the Kennedys, none of them noticing the bloodstains up the walls. Checking all around the empty rooms he moved towards his parent's bedroom, the familiar sight of blood stained the painted wood. Blake grabbed the handle and pushed the door. It was locked. Only a sane, living human being would lock the door.

"Mom! Dad!" He bellowed through the door. Again, footsteps were heard on the other side. "It's them! They're safe! Mom! It's me! Open up!" The excitement grew in Blake's voice; Ivy on the other hand was a little more curious as to why the child's parents weren't responding to their son. "Let me in! It's me!" He repeated, recognising his frustration and confusion, Ivy took charge.

"Move back." She ordered as she too twisted the door handle to make sure it wasn't just jammed. Then she tried to force it open as she barged the door with the side of her arm and shoulder, the weight of her body still unable to break the lock. She tried again, again and again.

"Dad! Let us in Dad! Open the door!" Blake's calling became a little more panicked as time went on with no response. Why wouldn't his parent's answer him? Stepping back from the door, she held one arm out to shield Blake and her sister; the other aimed her pistol at the lock.

"Whoever is in that room, step away from the door!" She demanded as she paused for a response, as she pulled the trigger, sparks lit the stairway. Watching the door open slightly, Blake dashed forward and into the master bedroom.

"Mom! Da…!" He froze. His parent's were there. Standing before Blake, his mother… a walker. Her hair was matted with dry blood, her once loving green eyes now a cloudy grey, her flowery dress torn and frayed as blood soaked into the pattern. A bite mark on her arm.

Rushing into the bedroom after him, Ivy held her gun up, ready to put the beast down. Then her conscience piped up. She couldn't kill this woman, not in front of her son. But she wasn't a woman any more. Her soul had left. But Blake was still in shock, that's his mother. But she was dangerous. As seconds passed, Kat followed into the room but the first thing she noticed wasn't Blake's undead mother, it was his father. Lying there on the bed where they slept each night, Mr. Tyler had put a gun to his head and pieces of his brain now decorated the headboard.

As walkers entered the house, Mrs. Tyler must've been bitten as her and her husband made their getaway and locked themselves in the bedroom for protection. Once Mr. Tyler realised his lifetime love was becoming one of them he'd made the choice to end his own life, on his terms. As the attacking walkers roamed the house and banged against the bedroom door, Mrs. Tyler now one of them had kept herself contempt by feeding on her husband after his suicide.

His intestines hung over the edge of the bed and curled up against the tainted carpet.

"Mom…" Blake cried, tears streaming down his face as he too spotted his father's body.

"Kat! Get him out of here!" Ivy snapped as Mrs. Tyler's rancid body stepped towards them, her jaw clashing as the sight of fresh food electrified her appetite. "Now!" She screamed. Blinking back into the moment, Katharine grabbed Blake's arm and tugged violently to get him to move.

"Blake! Please…" She begged as his watery eyes stayed fixed on his hungry mother. As more tears left his cheeks, he relaxed his resistance and Katharine was able to pull him away from the scene and headed for the stairs. Ivy closed her eyes out of respect that this was once a living person, a sweet lady, a loving wife and most of all, Blake's mother. Slowly her finger constricted around the trigger of her gun.


	4. Hard Day At The Office

As they stumbled down the steps leading from the front door, Blake paused as he heard the gun shot. Katharine released her grip on his arm and turned to face him. Sympathetically she wrapped her arms around him and offered her shoulder for his tears to soak. A moment passed before Ivy appeared in the doorway, slight distress and sadness in her eyes. She closed the door to the house firmly and made her way passed the teenagers without saying a word. Kat noticed her and followed leading Blake, gently, back to the car.

Sliding himself into the back seat with a lack of effort, Blake looked up to his parent's bedroom window as Kat closed the door after him. After seatbelts were fastened Ivy started the car and they set off in an uncomfortable silence, nobody knowing quite what to say. The hush lasted as they turned off Bryant Street, down Dixie Lake Road and back onto the Roosevelt Highway. Everybody just stared out at the road, empty cars and white lines were the only other passengers of the Highway. It wasn't until they turned to rejoin Route 85 that the awkward silence was broken.

"How are you doing?" Kat asked placing her hand softly onto Blake's thigh…no response, he just kept staring at the grey road to avoid Katharine seeing him still crying quietly. Kat just sighed and stroked her fingers over his leg to somehow show she was there for him.

"Hey Blake…" Ivy coughed out looking in her rear view mirror. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." She watched as he took a deep breath as more tears dripped from his chin. "I'm sorry for what I did, but you must trust me that was for the best… for our safety and for… well you don't want your mom to be that…thing. Do you?" Blake bit his lip and shook his head to show that he was listening, and that he understood what had to be done. His reaction alone was enough to show his forgiveness for what Ivy had done to what used to be his mother and this gave Ivy the satisfaction and eased her mind a little. With a more relaxed tension now in the car, Ivy decided to fiddle with the radio once more. Still the same old things, white noise and the automated evacuation alert so she switched it back off and the silence continued. Racing along 'R85' they soon came to pass the airport, Kat spotted the pool of blood from her first sighting of the walkers feeding the day before had dried into the concrete pavement and in the place of the body they were eating, a mismatch of bones, all the flesh had gone, just bone.

As the road turned to head North, Atlanta City towered in front of them. Destruction could be seen from where they were; broken windows adorned buildings, smoke billowed from fires as if a riot had taken place and as they reached to edge of the city, litter blew through the streets as people had tripped over trash cans and piles of newspapers in their panic. Heading further into the city they were met by more and more chaos, Ivy managed to make her way through the abandoned traffic and came off at the 'Five Points' junction by Trinity Avenue, the same route she'd taken many times to go and visit her parents at work.

Leo and Beth Kennedy both worked for the Board of Education and had met in the office twenty-eight years ago, their relationship blossomed and the following year they were blessed with their first child, Ivy. Working in such respectable jobs meant their pay slips were always more than enough to get what they needed in life but now, money was practically worthless.

Trinity Avenue also was home to the City Hall, equally as deserted and dark stains marked the stone steps where blood had previously cascaded down like a water feature. Neighbouring opposite was a taller building, quite plain in comparison to the fine architecture of the City Hall, this was the building that held the Atlanta Board of Education, this was the building where Katharine and Ivy's parents worked. As they closer, Ivy saw something and stopped the car.

"Ivy? What is it?" Katharine asked about the hold up, Blake awoke from his miserable daydream and stretched to look out through the windscreen. Opening her door, Ivy stepped out of the car and in turn the teens followed, the trio stared at the familiar building, a tightening pain began to crush Kat's heart and a fear overcame Ivy.

The footpath surrounding the tall building was garnished with shattered glass a number of blood stains, as if someone had been dropping water balloons. Accompanying two of these marks were scratches of material once belonging to a smart suit or a slender pencil skirt. A nearby roof of a Land Rover was slightly dented and in the centre laid an unknown man, his shirt and tie still fastened neatly, but not a sign of life. As Ivy placed a hand over her mouth to hide her panic she lifted her eyes to the building above them, windows were broken. The officer figured out the scene.

As the City had become over-run with walkers, the workers inside must've locked themselves in the offices and once they realised nobody was coming to help and there was no escape from the hordes growing outside they decided they had no choice…and jumped. Some will have died upon impact with the cold hard ground below, others, perhaps greatly injured, were unlucky enough to survive the fall and be fully aware of the pain as the walkers fed upon them. The ones who weren't completely shredded for food would've probably become the lifeless bodies hungry for flesh themselves. The stranger atop the large vehicle was the luckiest of all. As he fell, he must've landed head first and fractured his spinal column, instant death and due to the height of the car that caught his impact, he was still there in one piece.

As Katharine broke down in tears, Blake caught her quickly as she fell to her knees. He knew the pain she was feeling, he too had just lost his parents. Ivy too choked on her own tears and out of pure curiosity ran over to the Land Rover. Thoughts of her father ran through her head. Of course, she didn't want to see the deceased body of her father atop that vehicle, but if it was him at least he hadn't suffered or become one of the walkers himself. She climbed onto the bonnet and without thinking brushed the man's hair from his face. Tears streamed down her face as this unknown man stared right through her. His youthful face calm and peaceful, he was free from the torment the world had brought. Then, a crunching sound. Spooked by the noise, Ivy pulled away from the dead body for fear he actually was one of them. It wasn't him. Ivy's eyes followed the sound of crunching bone to the other side of the car. A walker. Whoever the man was atop the 4x4, his arm was slightly hanging over the edge of the roof and the tantalising site of fresh meat had attracted one of the undead, a male, his mechanic overalls were soiled with a mixture of blood and oil, the name badge read "Mike". Fresh blood sprayed over him as he bit through the finger bones of the mystery worker. Happily chewing away at his new found feast, the feeder hadn't yet noticed Ivy. She reached for her gun and sliding off the bonnet of the car a rush of anger filled her veins. She'd lost her parents to these monsters and it was time to find a release for her pain.

"Hey Mike!" She said as her boot met his stomach. The walker fell to the floor, yet it hadn't felt any pain, it instantly began crawling to its feet and heading for her, teeth bared. Lining her gun with his head, she waited until he was close enough to smell the gun before putting a bullet through his brain. The gun shot echoed through the city streets loudly, Katharine and Blake, completely unaware of Ivy's findings cowered at the sound before both racing to find her. As they rounded the bulky vehicle Ivy was in a fit of rage, kicking and stamping on the skull of the already dead zombie until its brains seeped through flesh wounds.

"Ivy!" Kat screamed as she went to try and restrain her sister. "Ivy! Stop it!" Hearing her sister's voice, Ivy collapsed to the floor and pounded her fist into the road, screams of tears. Katharine embraced her sister and held her close, pain and sadness filled them both. Blake just stood and watched, he'd felt this pain just an hour earlier and seeing the sisters before him let him know that he wasn't the only one in this situation, thousands of people had died, perhaps millions. A lot of people had lost somebody dear to them; fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, teachers, children, elderly, all gone.

"Blake, please, get the water." Katherine wept as she felt her sisters burning rage and chilling sadness. With a nod, Blake turned and jogged back towards the police car. Reaching into the back seat to grab the backpack, he heard a groaning. Lifting his head out of the car, careful not to hit it on the framework, he scanned the street. It wasn't until he turned completely that he saw the source of the noise.

"Run!" Katherine's ears perked up as she heard Blake shouting. "Kat! Get up! Run!" He repeated as he reached them once again, backpack in hand. The panic in his voice was enough to get the girls' attentions and Ivy wiped her red eyes as she forced back her wailing. The look on Blake's face worried Kitty and as she stood to see what had got him so worked up, the same fear painted her face. Ivy pulled herself together and got to her feet, looking to where the other's had their attention; she became speechless and moved to get a better view around the Land Rover's windscreen. Suddenly, the trio began to sprint, away from the City Hall and away from Ivy's car.

It must've been the sound of the gun shot or possibly Ivy's screams booming through the street that had attracted them. A horde of walkers filled the road, too many to count. Their feet dragged along the floor as they filtered their way around abandoned cars and anything else in their way. No emotion filled their cloudy, grey eyes but they were definitely after something, a lusting for flesh, their next meal. Unfortunately, the meal they wanted happened to be Ivy, Kat and Blake.

Checking behind them, Ivy could see that although the walkers weren't too quick on their feet and often clumsy, their numbers and desire for food still made them extremely frightening. Plus, it wasn't worth the risk of slowing down to see if they could out-walk them and so they carried on sprinting. Testing the horde's intelligence they turned right down a street, the walkers followed with an awkward attempt to run, their groans and grunts growing louder as their excitement for dinner increased. Ivy led them down another street and another until she stopped quickly, Blake hadn't noticed the hold up and almost ran straight into the back of her as he paid too much attention to the creatures chasing behind. She hadn't just stopped for a break, they'd been trapped. The walkers fumbled down the street after them and another horde drawn by the smell of the living was snarling up ahead. Ivy knew it wasn't a case of being outsmarted by these bloodthirsty beings, it was just finding themselves to the main event in town and apparently every walker around wanted a piece of them.

"What do we do?" Asked Blake with the well-known sound of panic back in his throat as he watched the living dead gaining on them from either s

"Get inside!" Ivy dashed across the footpath and tried a few doors, the kids ran to help by trying different doors along the street, keeping their eyes on the walkers getting dangerously close.

"Ivy?" Katharine whimpered as she shook the handle of another locked door. Ivy looked to her sister, images of a horrible death flashed through her mind as she reached for her pistol.

"Hey! Over here!" A yell called from the other side of the street. "Hurry!" Spotting a man standing at an open door, the three rushed across the road. Leaping through the open door they watched as the stranger slammed the shutter gates closed and padlocked them just in time before the walkers smashed against them. Still crazy with the hunger, their arms flailed wildly through the gaps in the metal gates. The man wiped his brow and smiled with a grin to show he was pleased with himself. Ivy, Kat and Blake watched through the open door at the pandemonium outside. Eventually, their saviour turned and headed back inside and locked the door behind him as the sound of snarls and hissing from the walkers dimmed behind him. An awkward stillness filled the room as the trio just stared at the stranger who'd saved them and then Ivy popped the silence.

"Thank you! So much!" She said trying to catch her breath; she bent over with her hands on her knees until she could taste the sweet flow of fresh oxygen in her lungs. Swallowing to wet her throat she stood back up and offered her hand. "I'm Ivy!" She added before the unknown male shook her hand and announced.

"Glenn."


	5. Shopaholic Heaven

Glenn was a spry, young Asian guy. Mid twenties and although his youthful looks showed signs of joy and playfulness, there were hints of sadness and sorrow in his eyes. He tried to keep a positive outlook on life but it was obvious that he'd been through the same hardships as everybody else. He wore a blue and white baseball shirt with a matching cap and some scraggy blue jeans, not the smartest of outfits but practical and besides, who was thinking of fashion at a time like this?

"Check out these shorts!" Apparently, Kitty was thinking about fashion at a time like this. The trio had come to find themselves in the clothing area of a department store. Ignoring her sister, Ivy continued to quiz Glenn.

"Are we safe here?" Glenn nodded, the look on his face showed he was certain. Almost.

"How long have you been here?"

"Just over night… we headed into town an-"

"We? " Ivy scanned the shop.

"Yeah, they're upstairs on the roof. It's easier to assess the…" He paused and looked towards the door where the faint sound of slamming and groaning was coming from. "…situation from up there!" Ivy's face lit up. Although there was a slim chance her parents were a part of Glenn's group, there were more survivors. Not everybody was gone. They weren't alone.

"Let's go!" Ivy said asking Glenn to lead the way. They set off, Ivy nudged Kat who was asking Blake for his opinions on a shirt she'd found. Watching as her sister headed towards a back door with Glenn, Kat stuffed a few more items of clothing under her arm and followed. Since nobody was alive anymore and money was deemed worthless, it wasn't stealing, right?

"So what's your story?" Glenn asked as they hopped up the dimly lit stairway.

"We were looking for…" Ivy paused, under any other circumstances, being so open and honest with a complete stranger would seem odd… then again he had just saved their lives. "…someone." Glenn cast a curious glance back at her and she continued. "We didn't find them. That's when those…things… showed up after us and so we ran… and now, we're stuck here too." As they climbed the last few stairways, they fell into silence, apart from the sound of heavy feet against the stone steps and their breathing getting heavier with each floor. Reaching a fire door, Glenn paused.

"Just to warn you, they're quite the bunch!" He said as his hand turned the doorknob. Pushing it open, the sunlight dazzled them and as their eyes adjusted to the light, the sound of muttering voices came to a stop. "I got them!" Glenn said as he stepped out onto the roof.

"Oh thank God!" An African-American female raced over to Glenn and patted him on the back. The relief in her voice was sweet and caring as if she was a motherly figure. Her eyes opened and fixed upon Ivy and the kids and they moved out into the sunlight.

"What were you thinking?" This woman's tone wasn't so friendly. A blonde haired woman ranted as she held a gun in her hand. As Ivy was trained to do, she instantly painted this female as a possible threat. "You've just led them straight to us!" She moaned, the anger growing inside her driven by fear.

"Hey Andrea, back off!" Another voice, this time, male. "I'm Morales." He said as he offered his hand to the attractive officer. She looked around at the group and then back to the Hispanic man in front of her. His filthy, unbuttoned shirt revealed straggles of chest hair beneath his vest that matched the messy stubble on his face.

"Ivy." She announced more for the benefit of everyone than for Morales private greeting. "This here is Kat and Blake!" She turned her head to her sister who was sneakily squashing her new garments into the rucksack. When Kitty realised all eyes were on her, she coyly stopped what she was doing and gave a smile and a nod. The lady who'd been with Glenn smiled back.

"I'm Jacqui; you already know Glenn I'm assuming, Morales, Andrea and T-Dog!" She said introducing the group, T-Dog; a bulky black man nodded sternly trying to act macho in front of the Latin beauty of Ivy.

"Or Theodore… Theo… whatever…T-Dog's cool!" He fumbled as she looked to him.

"Hey, cool rifle!" Blake had wandered from conversation and found a gun resting against an air vent.

"Get away from there!" Another man stepped out from behind a wall. He briskly walked over and picked up the rifle, rudely pushing Blake out of the way before returning to his corner where he was quietly watching the walkers down below.

"What's his problem?" Asked Kitty as she swung the bulging backpack over her shoulder. Andrea rolled her eyes.

"That's Dixon, Merle Dixon…not the friendliest of people, so try to keep your distance." She warned before brushing her blonde locks from her face and planting the gun into the back of her jeans. T-Dog snarled and spat on the floor whispering to himself.

"Redneck bastard." Clearly, Theo and Dixon didn't get on too well.

"Hey, I'm sorry about how I acted… I guess we're all just a little wired lately." Andrea apologised, scratching the back of her head.

"Don't worry about it, I get it!" Ivy said in a forgiving manner. Looking around at the mismatched group she could tell they weren't the type of people who would've grouped together before the outbreak and as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her wrist, she asked. "So, what's the deal here?" Glenn stepped forward.

"We're here for supplies. Our group has set up camp just outside of Atlanta. Once the city became so overrun, we decided it was time to go somewhere a little less populated. Back at camp they're broadcasting a message over the radios to let any other survivors know there's a refuge there." Ivy suddenly thought back to her car radio.

"I'm not so sure it's working properly." She announced to confused faces and wrinkled foreheads. "I scanned the waves in my vehicle but didn't hear any civilian messages."

"Something's probably interfering with it; we thought it was just our portable which was broken." Jacqui sighed as she listened to the discussion carefully.

"Well, like I said we've come back into the city for supplies and kind of got ourselves holed up in this store, our truck is down the street but with all those geeks outside we'd never make it." Glenn straightened his cap to hide his embarrassment.

"For now." Morales sounded a lot more confident. "We're going to get out of here. We are. Even if we have to walk out through the back and leave the van. Glenn knows all the shortcuts and secret passages around the city, he'll get us out." Ivy raised her eyebrows and looked to Glenn who blushed and scratched his arm.

"I'm a pizza delivery boy…well, used to be! We use the alleys to cut down delivery time." He looked to Morales. "We'd never make it out of the city on foot though."

"Fine, but if anyone can find a way back to the truck, it's you." Morales smiled to the young Asian. Ivy nodded and turned fully to Glenn.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked. As Glenn pursed his lips to answer, Merle appeared from around the corner and butted in.

"We wait!" With his rifle held over his shoulder he noticed Ivy's glare, she'd worked him out already and wanted to keep their confrontations as short and easy as possible. "You see, Princess, you've brought all them walkers right to our doors, so until they go and find something else to play with, we're going to have to bunk down here for a while. The front door's a complete no-go and the alley is currently crawling with them." Although the group obviously didn't like him, they did agree with him, until the horde below scattered, they were stuck. Merle walked across the rooftop, everybody else perfectly still except their eyes following him, waiting for his next move. They couldn't and didn't trust him.

"What do we have here?" As he reached Kat, he slithered around her and ran his grubby fingers through her hair a perverted grin spread across his mouth. The fear in Katharine's eyes was emphasised with disgust.

"Leave her alone!" Ivy cocked her gun and aimed straight at him. Merle put his arms up and mocked her.

"Don't worry Taco Belle," He sniped in a racist play on words. "I was only saying 'Hello'." He grinned back at Kat. "I'll introduce myself properly later." He winked before disappearing once again behind the wall. A wave of nausea swept over Kitty, the smell of stagnant sweat mixed with who knows what else still lingered around her, Merle made her skin crawl. Blake offered a hug to calm her nerves as Ivy started after the redneck.

"Don't!" Jacqui moved to block Ivy's path. "He's not worth it." She said, turning her head to reveal a bruised cheekbone. This only enraged Ivy further, how dare this scummy excuse for a man hit a woman. If it wasn't for the pleading look in Jacqui's eyes she'd have gone round there and fixed a bullet in Merle's chest right now. With a huff, she turned back to her sister and holstered her gun.

"Well, I'm starving…" T-Dog tried to break the tension. "Hey, kid, do you want come grab some snacks with me?" Blake looked to Ivy as if waiting for permission before following T-Dog back through the door. With a department store this size, the food court must be loaded. He'd soon find out it had been raided in the evacuation and the snacks Theo mentioned were any scraps left behind.

* * *

><p>Back on the roof, Ivy and Kat had found a place to hide their backpack and were involved in general chit chat about the walkers and where they'd come from, everybody seemed as clueless as each other. Still, Ivy looked up at the blue sky and appreciated the company they'd found. There were even a few giggles as Morales suggested some outrageous opinions on the matter. After about twenty minutes, the door opened and Blake and T-Dog walked through carrying armfuls of 'Twinkie' boxes and water bottles, Blake had even found himself a baseball cap on their venture downstairs.<p>

"They've hit the jackpot!" Andrea chuckled as she caught a roll T-Dog had thrown to her. The group settled down to enjoy the sweet taste of the Twinkies and washed it down with the cool, refreshing water. If it wasn't for the army of undead in the streets below it would have been a perfect picture of a group of friends enjoying the weather and feasting on sweets and laughter. Until Dixon returned.

"Didn't your momma ever teach you to share?" The group turned to his silhouette.

"Didn't your momma teach you not to touch other peoples' stuff?" Ivy spat back at him as she noticed Kitty's backpack in his hand. He moved around so the others could see him without the sunlight blinding them.

"Looks like somebody's holding out on us!" He said as he threw the bag into the middle of the group, water bottles, biscuits, bread and other various snacks rolled out. Everybody's eyes widened. Ivy just stood there and kept her eyes on Merle, Katharine scurried to return the food back to the bag, helped by Blake.

"You think we were hiding that food?" She snuffed a laugh. "Go ahead, take it." As she offered it to him, Kat and Blake stopped and looked at her, was she just going to give away their stock? "Or you could just buck up and realise that you're standing on top of a store which just presented us with the keys to 'Unlock the Magic!" Ivy quoted the Twinkie tagline and to ridicule Merle even further, she tossed him one of the delicious treats. With a snort, he crushed the delicacy in his fist and stomped away as he grumbled curse words under his breath. As they watched him retreat from Ivy's tongue lashing, the rest of the group all sniggered and quietly cheered, still aware that he could clearly hear them from his dark little corner.

"Looks like Dixon's met his match!" Andrea applauded before high fiving Ivy. They all continued their private celebrations until their stomachs were so full of watered down sponge and cream they could explode and as the sun began to hide behind the taller surrounding buildings, they shared stories and tales of their lives before the walkers appeared.

* * *

><p>With the sun now replaced by the moonlight, the heat was also replaced by a fresh chill and so they decided to retire for the night and headed indoors to find a cosy place to sleep. After all this was a department store with plenty of opportunities to snuggle into a nice display bed, huge bean bag or even a giant soft teddy. With the day they'd had, they'd be sure to sleep tonight, ready for what tomorrow would bring. Merle stayed on the roof, acting as lookout although everybody knew the only person he'd selfishly look out for was himself. Yet as Ivy pulled a duvet over herself and Kat and Blake had opted for the inflatable sofas, they felt a sense of security and hope with these new 'friends'. Turning in her bed, Andrea smiled and looked out of a window at the stars in the sky, each one giving her the same wish, to see her sister again. T-Dog and Morales had decided to stay up a while longer and had found a deck of cards to teach Glenn how to play Poker with and Jacqui was already snoring as she hugged a toy tiger.<p>

* * *

><p>With the relaxed calmness inside, Merle looked out over the edge of the roof and in the shadows below, the horde of zombies was still stubbornly banging against the store's shutters. Sparking up a cigarette, the moonlight bouncing off his lighter, he inhaled the toxins and thought about his life before the outbreak and how it was now. By the time he'd finished his cig, the moon was high in the sky and as he exhaled an evil thought formed in his mind. Flicking the cigarette stub over the side of the building he cast an evil smirk as he headed for the door.<p>

With everybody now soundly asleep, they had no idea Merle's wicked plan was about to be put into motion as the door to the roof closed firmly behind him.


	6. City Girl

Katharine awoke as she felt the sudden rush of blood to her head. She opened her eyes slowly as her grogginess made her dizzy; it was too dark to see anything. Stretching her back out, something hard dug into her shoulders and _what was that smell?_ This wasn't the cosy balloon sofa she'd fallen asleep on. She struggled to sit up, rope loosely wrapped around her wrists, her ankles too. Confused and scared she called for help but her voice was muffled by the thick silver tape across her mouth. Beginning to panic she swung her legs around so that she was kneeling and using the wall behind her for stability she managed to stand. Reaching her full height, she hit her head on something above causing her to crouch a little. _Where was she?_ With her sight impaired by the darkness and her nose distracted by the awful smell, Kat used her other senses to figure out her surroundings. She heard nothing except her own staggered breathing; she could taste the rancid smell as it reached the back of her throat and as she felt around, the cold touch of metal contained her. Looking up to where she hit her head, she softly moved her restricted hands above her… plastic. The sudden change of material triggered something in her head, and as her feet knocked against something that sounded like a glass bottle she figured it out. Pushing upwards, she opened the lid of the garbage bin, what was left of the moonlight was enough for her eyes to adjust quickly.

She was outside, in an alleyway and from the colour of the brick wall opposite her, she knew she was just outside the department store. Fully awake, she looked around her for fear of walkers but the coast was clear, just her and the bin. Using the strength she had, she pulled herself over the side of the bin and finally removed the tape covering her mouth. The sweet air filled her lungs; clean, fresh air replaced the vile stink from the bin. Hopping to the steel doors of the mall she tried the handle, locked. Thumping her tied hands against it hoping somebody inside could hear her. Realising she wasn't getting anywhere; she carefully fell to the floor and fiddled with the rope around her ankles. Eventually, she freed her legs and tried to twist her wrists to escape the rope. Thinking quickly, she began to scrape the rope up and down the jagged bricks surrounding the doors, her old age handcuffs began to fray. She smiled as each thread split, proud that she'd thought of a plan that worked. The smug look was wiped off her face as she spotted a walker out the corner of her eye. Her wasted attempt at banging on the metal door must've drawn some attention to her. It was when another walker rounded the corner that fear truly set in. Speeding up the motion to break the rope, her eyes fixed on the zombies who'd spotted their prey and gained a little haste in an uncomfortable run. The rope snapped and Kat slammed her fists against the door desperately, with the walkers getting further to her in the alley, she looked around and ran, squashing herself through a gap in a chain link fence that blocked her path.

* * *

><p>It was the sunrise glaring through the windows that woke Ivy and she yawned as she stretched her arms out.<p>

"Morning!" Andrea nodded from across the room; she was standing by the window watching the world go by. "It's funny, even when the world is going down the pan, some things are still beautiful." She said referring to the orange sky. Ivy sat up and rubbed her eyes throwing a silent smile back at Andrea. Looking around she saw that T-Dog and Morales were still snoozing over by their Poker table. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she pushed her feet into her boots and as she fastened the laces, she spied an empty couch where Kat had slept.

"Hey! Blake!" The young male stirred lazily. "Blake! You seen Kitty?" He grunted a 'no' and fell back to sleep.

"Maybe she'd on the roof?" Andrea suggested. "I saw Jacqui and Glenn head up a little earlier, maybe Katharine went to get some air?" Ivy smiled as she got to her feet and headed to the door. "You're welcome." Rolling her eyes, Andrea turned and continued her thoughtful viewing of the world outside.

Jogging up the stairway, Ivy didn't feel a need to panic, they'd survived the night in this place, and Katharine probably was just getting a sight from the roof. Nothing to worry about. Opening the door, she filled with life as a cool breeze brushed against her face, her hair flowing gently.

"Hey." Jacqui greeted her and Glenn gave a smile as he perched himself on the wall which acted as a barrier between the roof and the fall to certain death.

"Morning." Ivy returned the formality as she inspected the roof top. "Have you guys seen Katharine?" Two blank faces stared back at her as they shook their heads.

"When I got up this morning, she wasn't there; I just assumed she'd just popped to the bathroom." Jacqui explained. Now Ivy was beginning to worry, Kat wouldn't just wander off without saying anything. Seeing the look on Ivy's face, Jacqui pulled Glenn off the wall and they followed her back down the stairs.

"We'll check in here." Glenn said as he and Jacqui vanished through the door to the third floor of the department store, the food court. Continuing down another level, Ivy stuck her head through the door to the furniture department and called out.

"Guys, can you help me look for Kitty?" Andrea heard the anxious tone in Ivy's voice and as she moved from the window ledge she shook T-Dog and Morales awake so they could help in the hunt. Blake had woken by this time and raced over to Ivy.

"I'll go with you." He said as he followed her back to the staircase. The pace quickened as the fear of losing her sister crept through her mind. Down to the ground floor, Ivy swung the door open into the clothing area.

"Dixon!" She shouted. "Have you seen my sister?" Merle was standing in front of the stores main doors; a look of disappointment dressed his face as a gathering of walkers still bombarded their escape.

"Yeah, I seen her." He said. Ivy and Blake stopped in their tracks as they were about to run right passed the rough redneck.

"Where is she?" Ivy interrogated him, frustrated by his lack of information. Merle stayed quiet and watched the doors. "I said where is she?" Ivy's pitch changed as she became angry at this ignorant pig of a man, she moved to him and pulled at his arm to turn her around, a creepy smile sent shivers through Ivy's blood. The tension between them was enough to concern Blake who stood by helplessly, and then Dixon's lips parted.

"She decided to take out the trash!" Merle snarled. Bewilderment fogged Ivy's thinking and then she clicked, dread sank into her stare.

"What have you done?" She whimpered, turning her eyes to the crowd of undead still trying to walk through the barricaded doors. Merle had set her out there to try and cause a distraction so the rest of them could escape but it had failed. The disappointment lifted a little when he realised he now had a back-up. A second chance. Sending Ivy out after her sister could clear the doors for them.

"Through those doors," He pointed to the stock room at the side of the store. "There's an exit into the alley…you best hurry, she might still be alive." He said with a sinful glare. Loathing and hatred fired up in Ivy and she clenched her fists ready to swing for the repugnant hillbilly.

"Ivy, let's go!" Blake grabbed her arm to stop the tension and as she spat in Merle's direction, Blake pulled her towards the stock room. With a scream of rage and fury, Ivy kicked at an empty box in her way and with determination she headed for the exit sign with her berretta firmly in one hand.

"You ready?" She asked in a harsh voice, Blake could sense she was understandably angry and so he gulped back his fear and nodded. Unbolting the door, she took a deep breath and before she raised her gun she stopped. If she'd learnt anything, it was that going around firing guns was foolish and would draw too much attention to them. Blake watched her as she scanned the room and then smiled. Breaking through the glass casing, she wrapped her fingers around the wooden shaft of the fire axe and beamed at the power it made run through her body.

"Can I use this?" Blake asked in his pleasantly polite manner as he too had found himself a weapon, ten whole inches of hard metal self defence, a wrench.

"Good idea." Ivy nodded, knowing that it'd be tough outside. "Just make sure you stay close, okay?" Blake nodded and the pair prepared as Ivy slowly opened the double doors.

His hands trembled and he tightened his grip on the wrench for comfort as they both crept out into the alleyway. Ivy checked both ways before deciding it was safe and although she wouldn't mind allowing a horde of hungry walkers in to tear Dixon apart for what he had done, she closed the steel doors behind her for the sake of the others. As the metal clanged shut, stirring down the alley. Clambering to its feet from behind the trashcans, a walker stood, a dead rat in his hand, the animals blood dripping from the decaying mouth of the undead. Adrenaline masked the fear and Ivy watched as Blake charged over bringing the heavy wrench into the walker's forehead. The feeder slumped to the ground but still stirred, until the wrench met it with one final blow. As the skull cracked, tearing the skin open, blood splashed across Blake's jacket. Silence. As their eyes met once more, Ivy and Blake shared a moment. They both knew Blake was ready for this and wasn't just going to get in the way. Then a clashing noise as the metal fence was hailed with walkers on the other side trying to make their way through to the armed duo. Blake made a move towards the mesh fence but Ivy stopped him.

"No! There's too many of them, if they break through that fence, we'd be overcrowded in this small space, come on, this way." They took a last look at the hungry faces trying to gnaw through the metal chains of the fence before turning to head towards the high street. As they approached the main street, they could hear the commotion happening at the stores main entrance and slowed down to a stealthy pace. If they could just sneak out into the street and make a left they'd be free from the mob trying to raid the store. As if having a silent conversation, Ivy and Blake both seemed to know the equally silent plan and coming to a stop at the corner, Ivy carefully poked her head around the corner, signalling for Blake to make a dash for it. He quickly scampered out of the alleyway and headed in the opposite direction from the horde. Looking around the barren street he smiled, they'd made it; he turned to make sure Ivy had followed as successfully.

"Watch out!" Ivy whispered with a grimace. Too late, not looking where he was headed, Blake collided with a public trash can which tripped him then noisily clattered across the road. Ivy flinched and rushed to his aide. Blake tried to stand, but the fall had twisted his ankle, he scowled in pain. Amongst all the ruckus, a walker at the back of the herd had heard the din and accompanied by a few other zombies was now headed towards Ivy and the injured teen. As the officer helped Blake to his feet, she flung his arm around her shoulder, placed the wrench in his other hand and then picked up her axe, ready to run. Unfortunately, by the time they'd prepared themselves, the rest of the horde had noticed the event and had decided the chance of a meal was more worthy than what could be in the store. The hoard was in full swing, all eyes on Ivy and Blake.

"Run!" Ivy begged as Blake struggled to limp. With Ivy as his crutch, Blake eventually managed to slowly sprint down the street. The sound of hungry screeches behind them.

* * *

><p>By this time, the group inside the store had all met in the ground floor and after a confrontation with Merle, they'd discovered what he'd done and were now witnessing as the doors were cleared of walkers.<p>

"What did I tell you?" Dixon smirked. "Plan worked." The others stood their ground and shot him fierce frowns.

"We're not going anywhere!" Jacqui snarled in disgust.

"How could you do that to them?" Andrea sneered. "To that young girl! Don't you think there's enough death around without you helping them to their next meal?"

"Ungrateful bitches!" Merle defended his plan. He'd thought of a way to clear the doors so that they could get to their truck and his plan had worked. Why wasn't everybody praising him?

"They're right, we need to stay here. Until they get back. We can't just leave them!" Morales joined in.

"Seriously?" Merle snorted.

"If you want to go, then go, but I'm not going anywhere until those children are back here safe." Jacqui said before storming out to go check the roof for a better position to be able to spot Ivy, Blake or Kat. The rest of the group soon followed and whether it was a sudden change of heart or the fact he couldn't leave without the truck keys, Merle too headed up the stairs.

* * *

><p>"This way!" Blake advised as he saw the left turn was clear. With Blake in the condition he was in, the walkers were gaining on them and fast.<p>

"Hurry!" Ivy practically screamed at him but although the adrenaline was acting as a pain killer for Blake's ankle, it was still proving difficult for him to run any faster. Weaving in-between the cars and trucks spread across the city roads, the terror was drowning them. Then, Blake fell. The sprain in his ankle was under too much pressure and just gave way. The wrench spun across the road and landed under a FedEx truck. "Get up!" Ivy demanded as she once again tried to lift him to his feet and although his attempts to stand were backed by survival, he could do it. Looking back at the walkers scuffling through the street after them, Ivy thought to carry Blake. She tried to drag him over her shoulder, but he was a heavy guy, he may have only been sixteen, but the toned muscles from all his sports training added his extra weight. She couldn't do it. Another glance at the undead now close enough to see the greys of their eyes. Ivy looked down to Blake and with an apologetic look in her eyes; a tear trickled down her cheek. Blake knew what was happening.

"No! Ivy! Please!" He pleaded as she grabbed her axe and turned her back on him. "IVY!" He bawled as she began to run, tears down her face as she made a regrettable decision. It was no use, he couldn't have made it, she told herself, refusing to look back as his screams were stifled under the bodies of the walkers piling onto him to get their share.

"Forgive me." She prayed in a whisper as her sobbing left her lips soaked. It was either him or both of them and she couldn't let that happen, this was about survival of the fittest and without her own survival how was she ever going to find her sister? As Blake was engulfed by the pack of hungry feeders shredding him to pieces, the rest of the horde continued after Ivy knowing there was still food on the run. Back to full speed, she wiped her eyes to clear them from blurry tears and turned another corner. A walker stood in her way but she didn't slow down, instead she moved faster and lifted the axe above her head she swung it into the walkers skull. A split second later she had leapt over the fallen corpse and the axe left a trail of blood dripping from its edge. Another walker, this time the blade of the axe swiped into the side of the head. Two walkers down. By the time she came to a third, the emotion building inside of her had replaced the thoughts of Blake's suffering and she only had one goal. Searching for Katharine. Once the third walker had been put down, Ivy studied the streets for any signs of her sister. Atlanta was a big place, she could be anywhere. Making a quick escape down a quiet alley, Ivy ducked behind a waste bin and held her breath as straggles of walkers trudged past. She dropped her head back against the wall as she gasped for air, sinking to the ground she was just about to breakdown over how she'd discarded Blake for her own selfishness when she spotted a familiar material pattern. Katharine's shirt.

"Kitty!" Ivy snapped out of her downer and jumped to her feet, she moved over to her sister who was cowering in the corner of the alley behind another trash dump. This time, tears of happiness and relief replaced all other emotion. Reaching out her arm, Ivy stroked her sister's golden hair.

"Kat, it's me…" She said softly amidst more tears. Pulling gently on the young girls shoulder she turned her face to face. Grey eyes. Faded skin stained with blood covered Katharine's face. She hadn't been hiding by the bins, she'd been feeding, a stray cat had been her first feed and its fur matted in Katharine's teeth and covered her blood soaked shirt.

"No…" Despair and heartbreak were overwhelming Ivy as she backed away from what used to be her baby sister. "Katharine…no…" With each step she withdrew, Katharine advanced. "Why?" Ivy pleaded with the Gods to make things right again but as the alley wall blocked her retreat it felt as though her heart had been ripped out. Looking into her sister's once beautiful eyes, Ivy wept as the vacant stare came back. It wasn't looking for love or comfort any more, it was deciding where to take the first bite and as Katharine's undead body stood before her sister, Ivy held out her hand and brushed the blonde, wavy hair from her face ace she'd done hundreds of times before. Kat's grey, lifeless eyes widened at the touch and snarled ready to bite into the flesh of Ivy's forearm.

"I'm sorry Kitty!" The axe came straight into the centre of her forehead and Katharine Kennedy sagged to the floor. Ivy followed in a heap of tears and screams, mortified by what she'd had to do. Kneeling in the alley shedding so much pain and anger over the body before her, axe still firmly embedded in the carcasses skull. Ivy wasn't bothered whether she drew any attention to herself; in fact she'd appreciate it if the ground opened up and swallowed her away from this cruel existence. Strangely enough, no walkers did appear, and Ivy was left weeping over her dead sister's body as the sun reached its highest point.

* * *

><p>As the time went on, Ivy had dried up her sorrow, no more tears left to cry, no more pain left to screech, nothing. She felt like the walkers herself, she felt as though her soul had been taken from her. After removing the axe and finding a nearby blanket to place over the deceased, Ivy strolled back into the open street. As empty as her heart. She walked through the city aimlessly and after dodging a few walkers who're distracted by the feast of city dwelling animals she made it to the outskirts of the city. Back on Route 85, Ivy wound her way through the traffic jam heading out of the city, taking no notice whatsoever of her surroundings as the hot sun beat down above her. Then something did grab her attention. Hearing a sound, she dived into the back seat of a Mustang and closed the door gently behind her as the sound grew closer. A strange sound, one she recognised but it wasn't something you'd hear every day in a city. The sound of horse's footsteps. With curiosity taking over, she warily poked her head up to the window; just enough to see what was outside.<p>

Indeed it was a horse, on the other side of the highway; a horse was heading into town. The bright sunlight shadowed the rider from Ivy's view. Should she get out and join them? Should she warn them not to go into the overrun city? Should she stay put and keep herself to herself from now on? Her conscience battled inside her but in the end she decided it was probably for the best that she didn't get involved with anybody else from now on, she was already mourning the loss of her parents and her sister, and she couldn't handle losing someone else. Staying in the car she sat up in the seat and watched out of the back window as the horse continued towards Atlanta. As the rider became visible out of the silhouette, the horse spooked at something and turned making the stranger visibly clear to Ivy. She recognised that uniform. The same as her own. Kentucky badges were stitched into his sleeve, the sun sparkled off his sheriff's badge and then she saw his stubbly distinct jaw-line shaded by his hat. She instantly recognised her colleague from the department in Cynthiana. Quickly she opened the car door, scrambled out and as he took control of the steed and rode away she tried to call after him. Her voice was dry and hoarse from the screeches she's emitted earlier and instead of a loud, bellowing sound, a tiny, croaked whisper of a name that he didn't hear as he disappeared into the maze of buildings.

"Rick!"

* * *

><p><strong>End.<strong>


End file.
